making my super pc.. help guys

[xxweekxx]

Hey, im building a super pc for under $2,500..

Here's what im thinking so far..

Overclocked GeForce 8800 Ultra - $700
Nice case (someone help me recommend a cool case)+ PSU - $300
3gb DDRAM - $200
CPU - something around ~$300
Mobo - $100
DVD WRITER - $150

already got 19" monitor.
already got a hdisk

what else am i missing?

[bl4h]

what about a soundcard. Dont use that onboard crap ...

[martinsc]

Originally Posted by xxweekxx

Nice case (someone help me recommend a cool case)

http://www.lian-li.com/index.php - best cases i have ever seen

[notabook]

That video card is going to suffer greatly from such a poor CPU. If you are going to get that video card, you really need an Dual or Quad Core Extreme chip...

[xxweekxx]

i understand notabook

thats why im getting this liquid cool case.
THERMALTAKE KANDALF LCS LIQUID COOLED

THen ill overclock that cpu to about 3.4ghz(from what ive been reading so far)

Its a cheap solution.. The case + PSU will run me $400 but ill be getting the power of a $1000 cpu

[xxweekxx]

Also gonna go Raid0 with two WD Raptors..

[ungratefulninja]

I bought my first nice case. A lian-li. That all aluminum is awesome.

[grumpy]

for video take the nvidia geforce 7800GT limited edition ( i have one ) and its great.

[ztik]

Why spend so much money on nice stuff then get a shitty mobo?

Mobo should be $200-$300

[xxweekxx]

yeah ztik i havent built a pc for 3yrs so i was outta loop on best mobo around..

what mobo do you recommend?

[ztik]

Originally Posted by xxweekxx

yeah ztik i havent built a pc for 3yrs so i was outta loop on best mobo around..

what mobo do you recommend?

Ive been building with the Asus M2N32 recently. Awesome mobo. Flawless install every time.

[xxweekxx]

So far im lookin at -

THERMALTAKE KANDALF LCS LIQUID COOLED case + 750w psu - $400
CPU - intel core 2 dueo e6400 (will overclock it to 3.4ghz easily) - $200
RAM - $300
Video card - NVIDIA 8800 GTX (will overclock to run at speed of ultra 8800)$500
Sound card - $100
DVD Writer - $100
Hdisks - $300
Mobo - $200

About $2,100

It'll probably end up being $2000 which is a good price for this sick system. Its WAY better to build your own shit.

BAsically with my liquid cool case ill be able to o'c cpu & video card to death..

[xxweekxx]

Asus M2N32 is AMD.. im going intel..

[ztik]

Asus P5K3 then

[ztik]

No need for a sound card also if you get that board

[xxweekxx]

yea but intergrated cards are always crap

[ztik]

Originally Posted by xxweekxx

yea but intergrated cards are always crap

They have come A LONG way. Check out the reviews on it

[xxweekxx]

just read some reviews for Asus P5K3

nice mobo man.. but DDR3 memory is expensive.lol

2GB memory + that mobo and im lookin at $600

[bigalownz]

I love my Thermaltake Case

http://www.thermaltakeusa.com/produc.../vb1000wws.asp

[bigalownz]

and with cpu Ill go for AMD or Intel

not those other shitty ones

[Superterrorizer]

Originally Posted by notabook

That video card is going to suffer greatly from such a poor CPU. If you are going to get that video card, you really need an Dual or Quad Core Extreme chip...

No you don't. I've got an E4300 (and an 8800) with my fsb at 333 (Will go past 375 but my ram can't take it) and I have _zero_ problem with any game I have played, with every in game setting cranked and 16xQ AA in Enhance mode + all performance options enabled in the driver. My fps is never below 60fps for long. Buying an extreme or quad core chip is a waste of money when you can get similar performance out of a chip that retails for ~$150.


Your 100 dollar motherboard is also a real bad idea. A $100 mobo does not make a "super pc" and is probably going to set your house on fire if you are pushing some decent FSB speeds and _especially_ if you are overclocking. The $200 - $300 range is a better bet. The new nvidia and intel chipsets are both solid so you can't really go wrong with either of them, it all boils down to preference and overclocking features. ASUS makes some real solid boards for both chipsets with tons of overclocking features.

You're also going to want to spend some more cash on a QUALITY PSU. You buy a cheap psu or one that doesn't have enough juice and it's going to fry with that 8800 (Or fry the 8800, or both, or your entire machine). As far as I am concerned the PSU is the absolute most important component in your machine, so don't cheap out on it. Anything under 500 - 600 watts is probably going to pushing it, and if you ever want to go sli down the road you may as well just grab a big fuckin' SLI psu and then you are ready if you go SLI.

However I don't know if that will totally future proof you for the next series of video cards, which will probably need to be plugged in to a 220v dryer socket to meet their power requirements.

[ztik]

If your worried about the memory costing too much you could always drop that overly expensive case and install an independant water cooling system (if you really want water cooled).

You can keep your CPU pretty close to as cool with one of these http://www.ultraproducts.com/product...roductID=5 71

also a dvd burner shouldn't cost more then $40

[ztik]

Originally Posted by Superterrorizer

Buying an extreme or quad core chip is a waste of money when you can get similar performance out of a chip that retails for ~$150.

I wouldn't say its a waste but there are many engines/games that do not use the 2nd (3rd too) core. They only use the first core in the CPU so yeah its pretty much the same. This isn't true for all games / applications though.

[notabook]

Originally Posted by Superterrorizer

No you don't. I've got an E4300 (and an 8800) with my fsb at 333 (Will go past 375 but my ram can't take it) and I have _zero_ problem with any game I have played, with every in game setting cranked and 16xQ AA in Enhance mode + all performance options enabled in the driver. My fps is never below 60fps for long. Buying an extreme or quad core chip is a waste of money when you can get similar performance out of a chip that retails for ~$150.

I have an E6600 cpu, o/c'd, + a 7900GTX video card and my 7900GTX is starving for cpu time. Ideally for the 7900GTX I should have gotten one step up, at minimum, but at the time the price diff. was vast. For a 8800 anything less than an extreme cpu is retarded.

[xxweekxx]

hmm notabook.. even if i overclock the e6400 to like 3.2ghz i think my NVIDIA 8800 GTX will be okay..

i dont understand how your overclocked E6600 cant handle your 7900GTX

[notabook]

Originally Posted by xxweekxx

hmm notabook.. even if i overclock the e6400 to like 3.2ghz i think my NVIDIA 8800 GTX will be okay..

i dont understand how your overclocked E6600 cant handle your 7900GTX

It can handle it - that is, I don't have trouble playing any games on the market - but it can get sluggish at times and it's not the video card's fault, the cpu just can't keep up. After reading up @ Tom's Hardware I would have probably been better off going with a 7800GTX or a 7900GT back when I got this one.

[xxweekxx]

eh.. those extreme cpus are too much $$..

cheaper to buy a lower end cpu and o'c it..

[notabook]

Originally Posted by xxweekxx

eh.. those extreme cpus are too much $$..

cheaper to buy a lower end cpu and o'c it..

Same here. It just won't be able to reach it's "full potential" without it... but the extra bucks don't justify it at all imo. My system is still going strong and new games run fine, I'm still set for another year before I upgrade anything.

[xxweekxx]

notabook what are your specs

[WarChild]

Can you wait a month? The Intel quad core is going to fall to about $260 per 1000 wholesale and should retail for around $300. That's pretty cheap.

[xxweekxx]

how do u know itll fall?

[notabook]

Originally Posted by xxweekxx

notabook what are your specs

E6600 @ 2.9 atm, I got it up to 3 but it wasn't stable w/my cheap water cooling setup (Thermaltake Silent Water), also my mobo is kinda junky when it comes to overclocking (Asus P5N32-SLI Premium). All the OCZ sticks I tried to use in it failed (until they reflashed them) so I'm stuck using somewhat slower Corsair memory (2GB, 5-5-5-15 - I want to get a new mobo + better ram for it). AeroCool case (was a bit too small). Asus 7900GTX (slightly OC'd, not much because I don't have proper cooling in this case). A few TB of storage, etc.

edit: Oh and a 700watt OCZ GameXStream psu

[WarChild]

Leaked by motherboard manufacturers:

In the most updated plan, Intel Quad-Core Core 2 Quad Q6600 (2.4GHz/4MB L2 x2/1066MHzFSB) will be further cut to $266, a second drop within 4 months since its release on March with 68.7% accumulated price drop. For the original price segment of Core 2 Quad Q6600, now it will be replaced by a new model Quad Q6700 (2.66GHz/4MB L2 x2/1066MHzFSB), pricing at $530.

For the mainstream desktop processors, while Core 2 Duo E6000 family has no price update information at this moment, its relatives, Core 2 Duo 6050 family which features 1333MHz FSB releasing on July 22, has got a very impressive price advantage. The 3 models including E6550 (2.33GHz), E6750 (2.66GHz), and E6850 (3GHz) are only priced at $266, $183, and $163, around 40% cheaper than its 1066MHz version. Together with the new release of Bearlake featuring 1333MHz FSB, the both releases are expected to have great sales.

For the Value segment, Core 2 Duo E4500 will be a new release on July 22. Featuring 2.2GHz clock speed, 2MB L2 Cache and 800MHz FSB, its price is set at $133, while E4400 will further drop to $113.

[WarChild]

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q...e+drop+july+22

[bobby666]

why overclocking a graficcard for porn ????
for faster cumshots ? :-)

[xxweekxx]

no for better gaming.

[Adult Blogger]

I wouldn't risk having water inside my computer.

[xxweekxx]

bumpppppp

[Karupted Charles]

Originally Posted by bobby666

why overclocking a graficcard for porn ????
for faster cumshots ? :-)

Believe it or not sometime people use computers for things other then porn.

[Sosa]

Originally Posted by ztik

Why spend so much money on nice stuff then get a shitty mobo?

Mobo should be $200-$300

was thinking the same thing, except I pry wouldn't spend 300 on a board when you can get something decent for 150-200

[Sosa]

You don't need a $100 dvd writer either do you? there are plenty of options that are a lot cheaper.

[xxweekxx]

yeah.. bump for more ideas

[teg0]

Sorry, have to do it: http://www.apple.com/macpro/

[xxweekxx]

my specs will own that apple macpro anyday..

Im checking out graphics on that apple and the cards suck.

A 8800 ultra or even gtx will own that..

[Double L]

I recently built a nice 700.00 system, but you'd likely spend more with the video card for yourself.

Gigabyte 965p-DS3 mobo Rev 3.3 (only 115.00 and a nice board for a "budget overclocker")

Core Duo 6420 CPU (check the benchmarks and you'll go Intel... I've been an AMD guy for years, but Intel simply wins now. Performance and nice overclocking)

Spending some $ for a nice cooler vs stock will be a good investment for a low price. I chose a Freezer 7 Pro (Arctic cooling) and temps with a nice ventilation are low (27c as I type this and still under 50c with a full dual core Orthos stress test).

I'm not a big overclocker and just picked up some g.skill pc6400 and set the mobo settings and run at 3.2ghz. I would say if higher is desired then an e6600 or higher. Overclocking though you never know how well the results will be. I can clock 3.4, but then I have to add more voltage and I choose to keep the voltage safer vs pushing it for a small difference. 3.6ghz was the max I could overclock with the chip, but had stability issues. e6600 or higher and I think 3.6 seems pretty standard with the results from others. Still, I got a 50% overclock and running cool and quite a bargain price for a system build at that price.

I'm not a big gamer and got a GeForce 7600GT 256MB 128-bit GDDR3. I've tried some new games just to see how well it performs and it's played everything fine so far. I'm quite happy with it for my needs, but like most video cards I find the tend to need their shitty (because they're so loud) fans replaced.

Main thing you're missing though I think is to add some nice cooling. The included is fine, but why not run it nice and cool and more quiet for 30 bucks more. Your HD I have already I assume is SATA, if not then that might be something else overlooked.

Hell, Im already out of the loop on builds. Check benchmarks, find what you want.. buy it and build it and then a month later it's all changed or dropped in price because something else is better. Just the way it goes.



With your video card and especially if SLI mode is in your future (or current) I'd be looking for a 30+ amp power supply. Nothing worse that under powering your video card. I chose an ENERMAX Noisetaker II EG495P-VE ATX12V 485W at 32 amps and I like it. No modular cabling, but that isnt a cocern for myself, but it may be for you if you want a side panel and neon lights and stuff like that. I'm not into that stuff personally, but to each their own. My case is a Cooler Master Centurion 5 CAC-T05-UW (Black)

In the past I've used Newegg almost exclusively, but this time I found some good savings by using MWave.com I was impressed with them, but their website itself is a bit more bland (like I care about that though).

A 150.00 dvd writer? Im not sure why so high on that price, but maybe there's something faster or included with it that my 40.00 one doesn't have.

I can't say I have the fastest computer on the block, but it's way better than my last and a nice 3.2 core duo system and far under your 2500.00 budget, which gives you plenty of money for something similar to expand your video cards and even run them SLI in that price range.

Happy building!

[DatingGold]

go dual screen!

[u-Bob]

get a TAGAN PSU.

[ronbotx]

Originally Posted by martinsc

http://www.lian-li.com/index.php - best cases i have ever seen

Actually I have to agree with that. I bought my PC from Velocity Micro and they use a slightly customized version of the "Lian-Li" cases. You might check VM's product line of high performance PC's and gaming machines before going through the effort of building your own.

[V_RocKs]

A warranty.

[bl4h]

i have a evga 680i and the onboard sound is good, but NOTHING compared to a x-fi soundcard. onboard sound may have come a long way but its still shit